prestigious

[pre-stij-uhs, -stij-ee-uhs, -stee-juhs, -stee-jee-uhs]

adjective

1. indicative of or conferring prestige.

   the most prestigious address in town.

   Synonyms: distinguished

2. having a high reputation; honored; esteemed.

   a prestigious author.

   Synonyms: notable, illustrious

Other Word Forms

• prestigiously adverb
• prestigiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of prestigious¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin praestigiōsus “full of tricks, deceitful,” from praestigi(ae) “juggler's tricks” ( prestige ) + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

It began with Nakamura needing to qualify for the most prestigious tournament in chess, known as the Candidates, where eight players compete for the right to challenge the defending world champion.

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Despite spending somewhere close to $650 million to assemble their rosters, the two most prestigious franchises in Major League Baseball didn’t exactly have the smoothest summers.

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Uplands’s autumnal and only slightly less prestigious sibling Rush Creek Reserve is a decadent, soft cheese wrapped in spruce bark that drops only in October and November.

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Players for Arsenal, a prestigious English Premier League soccer team, wear “Visit Rwanda” on their uniform.

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The Norwegian Nobel committee members – the guardians of the world's most prestigious award – will announce on Friday who they will honour with the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Related Words

• distinguished 
• esteemed 
• famed 
• illustrious 
• important 
• impressive 
• prominent 
• renowned 
• reputable 
• respected www.thesaurus.com